Driver Sebastian Vettel is stepping up the game as the 71st season of the Formula One motor racing competition enters its fourth month, leading the pack with a 153-point lead.

Like football enthusiasts would be rushing to hit sbat betting tips for the best deals on every potential outcome, the same goes for the Formula One Grand Prix.

But unlike other sports, the Formula One motor race is not just down to the drivers' skills alone. In comes the car, and everything that goes into it. This year brings new opportunities as well as challenges as regulations surrounding bodywork and tyres have been amended allowing both to get wider, boosting downforce, grip, and speed, but also making driving a tougher task.

Favourites to win

While Renault and Honda appeared to be fine choices when it came to picking the right engines for their racing cars, Ferrari and Mercedes were seemingly favourites among Formula One competitors.

Ferrari

Starting off with the driver in the lead, Vettel's car, the SF70H, is serviced by a powerful Ferrari engine with a strong grip. With 42 wins under his belt since his 2007 debut, the engine provides Vettel with the tools he needs for a genuine shot at winning. Same goes for the other half of the Ferrari team, namely Kimi Raikkonen, who this year is driving merely for pleasure after having proven his driving skills in a strong second half last year.

But Ferrari is also providing engines to other teams too. Haas and Sauber both turned to the Italian sports car manufacturer to give their rides some edge. At the wheel of the VF-17, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will try to seize their first racing win after both came as close as second place since debuting in 2009, in the case of the former, and in 2014 in the case of the latter. Similarly, Sauber teammates Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein will seek their first win with their Ferrari-powered c36. Being among the newest contenders in the sport, with only three and one year of racing experience under their belts respectively, Ericsson and Wehrlein have shown promise, but will have to shine bright to jump ahead almost twenty places from their current best ranking to win.

Mercedes

Moving on to Mercedes, the namesake team, made up of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, is taking the F1-W08 and its engine to the test. Veteran Hamilton has won 53 races since first stepping onto the track in 2007, while Bottas is yet to hold the medal, having only entered the racing world in 2013. The VJM10 used by Force India is also putting its faith in Mercedes, which exceeded expectations last season, punching in fourth. The car was solid in testing, and boasts Merc power. Should the car outshine the others, drivers Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon would have their first Formula One win. Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll will both need to step up their game if the Williams team has its eyes set on the gold. Driving the FW40, backed by a Mercedes engine, the boys are estimated to come in fourth place.